Raised panel assemblies may be constructed and/or utilized in a variety of structures to form a raised surface. In general, raised panel assemblies include a plurality of raised panels, at least a portion of which may include and/or be operatively attached to a substructure. The substructure may be configured to support, retain, and/or otherwise locate each of the plurality of raised panels with respect to the other of the plurality of raised panels and/or with respect to the substructure. The raised panels may include a supported portion, which may be in direct physical contact with the substructure, as well as an unsupported portion, which may not be in direct physical contact with the substructure.
Some raised panel assemblies may include a gap between adjacent raised panels thereof, and this gap may be filled with a sealant material that may be configured to adhere the first raised panel to the second raised panel and/or to serve as a barrier to transport of a fluid and/or a solid material therethrough. As an illustrative, non-exclusive example, an aircraft may include a floor that is constructed from a raised panel assembly, and the gaps between adjacent raised panels may be filled with the sealant material to produce sealed gaps.
When constructing a raised panel assembly that includes sealed gaps, sealant material may flow out of the gaps during the construction process. This may increase the amount of sealant material that is required to seal the raised panel assembly, increase sealant material costs, increase the overall weight of the raised panel assembly, and/or increase the environmental impacts associated with cleanup and/or disposal of excess sealant material. Similarly, when disassembling a raised panel assembly that includes sealed gaps, it may be difficult to remove the sealant material from between adjacent raised panels and/or sealant, which may have flowed out from the gaps in the raised panel assembly, may bond the raised panels directly to the substructure, making it difficult or impossible to remove the raised panels from the raised panel assembly without damage to the raised panels and/or to the substructure. Thus, there exists a need for improved systems and methods for constructing and/or disassembling raised panel assemblies.